As I sit in a bare apartment, with my two cats, I am filled with emotions. I have packed, I have cleaned, I have tossed many things that at one point were very important to me, I have narrowed down my life into a few boxes and containers, yet how do I say goodbye to animals I have had for 10 years? The answer is you don’t. You feed yourself an answer that will help you get through this time and tell yourself that you will see them again, that you will pet them again, let them wake you up at 6 am to be fed, or have them clean the remnants of what was once dinner off your plate. I am super grateful for my friend Noah that is moving into my apartment, I know he will take good care of my cats, but he is still not me. He tells me there is a way to set up a camera on their feeder that will allow me to see them and feed them while in Switzerland.

Socks- I will miss your fearless attitude, your ability to eat an entire plate of food, eat all of your mother’s food, and still come to me to eat whatever I am eating. I will miss your snuggles, your constant desire to jump on and play with mom while she is relaxing, and of course, the necessity to lay on my keyboard while I am editing photos.

Mommy- I will miss the way you talk, knead bread on my pillows, let your son eat all of your food without any complaint, your soft fur, and beautiful purr. I will miss making my bed and having a huge lump in the middle because somehow, you have found your way under the covers perfectly. I will miss the way you sit like a panda and clean yourself and how no matter where I am, you want to be, right there under a blanket.

My cats have been with me for 10 years. I watched Socks be born. They have moved from Georgia, to Florida, and to California. They are troopers, they are part human, or at least act that way.

I can’t say I will miss this town but perhaps I can muster up some of my tears as I leave and dedicate them to Los Angeles. Now how in Orange County for 25 days and then off to Switzerland.